Amazon Storefronts Launches to Promote Small Businesses in the US

Highlights:

Amazon launched Storefronts, a curated collection of products from small to medium-sized businesses in the US.

Amazon Storefronts goes beyond the products to tell the stories of the business owners and their products.

A national TV ad is accompanying the launch featuring The Little Flower Soap Co. and highlights that half of Amazon sales come from small to medium size businesses.

In an effort to support small to medium-sized businesses in the US, Amazon has launched “Storefronts.” The new portal allows customers to shop exclusively from a curated collection of products from 20,000 smaller businesses in the US. The collection includes businesses from all 50 states and has segmented product categories for Back to School, Halloween, Home, Kitchen, Pet Supplies and more. Nicholas Denissen, Vice President for Amazon, said “Amazon first invited businesses to sell on Amazon nearly two decades ago, and today, small and medium-sized businesses are a vital part of Amazon’s large selection and commitment to customers. We’re championing their success with this new store and a national advertising campaign featuring a successful Michigan business selling on Amazon to customers across the U.S. and worldwide.”

National TV Ad:

Amazon Storefronts Stories

An exciting feature of Amazon Storefronts is the inclusion of “Storefront of the Week” and “Meet the Business Owners.” Both these sections give stores the opportunity to share their unique stories and personalities with customers and build a deeper brand connection. In the competitive landscape of Amazon it can be difficult to break through the noise and acquire loyal customers. One the the best ways to do this is by telling your small-business story. Amazon is hand selecting stores to profile on Storefronts and the selection process is unknown at this time. However, stores can leverage their own Amazon Stores, A+ Content, and Enhanced Brand Content to tell their stories and highlight their unique personality.

Storefront of the Week

Storefront of the Week is a weekly video series featured on the homepage of Amazon Storefronts that profiles one of the 20,000 small to medium-sized businesses in the program. The first video is of The Little Flower Soap Co. in Michigan. The video includes a short interview of husband and wife owners Holly and Justin Rutt and takes a fun behind-the-scenes look at their Amazon business. The video is well produced and does a great job showing the personality of their store. In the press release about the launch of Amazon Storefronts, Holly said, “Since we started selling on Amazon in October 2016, our sales have nearly doubled.”

Meet the Business Owners

Allison, Owner of The Seaweed Bath Co. (photo from Amazon)

Amazon Storefronts also has profiles on different types of smaller businesses selling on Amazon. This includes family-focused businesses, artisans, innovator-makers, and women-owned businesses. A number of stores were included in each category at launch. Each profile includes three questions that the store owner answers: How I got my start; What makes my products unique; and Why I love what I do. One of the profiles is of Allison and Adam from Texas who own The Seaweed Bath Co. They said they love what they do because, “being able to innovate and create products that can improve lives and provide better-for-you personal care options is a dream come true.”

Final Thoughts

Amazon reports that half the items they sell are from small to medium-sized businesses. These smaller businesses are critical to the success of Amazon and we’re excited to see them taking steps to support smaller US-based businesses. Many customers like to buy from smaller local businesses and Amazon Storefronts give them the opportunity to do that while also discovering the people behind the products.